PRESS RELEASE:

SEATTLE, WA - Pacific Northwest Ballet presents Bruce Wells’ Beauty and the Beast, a new addition to its narrated, one-hour series of family-friendly ballets performed by the PNB School and designed especially for young audiences. This non-Disney version of the engaging tale of adventure, unlikely friendships, and the power of true love is as charming as it is familiar, and a perfect introduction to theater and dance. Like PNB’s Family Matinee productions of Hansel & Gretel, Pinocchio, and Snow White, Beauty and the Beast was conceived and choreographed by Bruce Wells and will feature students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, along with special guest artist Jasper McCann as the Narrator. (Beauty and the Beast does not feature PNB Company dancers.) Beauty and the Beast runs for five performances only, March 20, 26 and 27 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Showtimes are at 11:30 am (sensory-friendly performance: see below) and 3:30 pm on Sunday, March 20; 11:30 am and 3:30 pm on Saturday, March 26; and 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 27. For tickets, call the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, or visit PNB.org.

Sensory-friendly Performance of Beauty and the Beast

PNB is proud to present an inclusive, sensory-friendly performance of Bruce Wells’ Beauty and The Beast on Sunday, March 20 at 11:30 am. This performance will feature a supportive and welcoming environment so children and adults affected by autism or with other sensory needs can enjoy the shared experience of live ballet with their friends and family. Modified lighting and sound levels, fidgets, entry/exit privileges, trained staff, allowance of devices, touch stations and a quiet room will be offered at this matinee. For more information on sensory-friendly performances visit PNB.org.

TICKET INFORMATION

Beauty and the Beast tickets ($28, $45 and $62) may be purchased through the PNB Box Office:

·         Phone - 206.441.2424

·         In Person - 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center

·         Online - PNB.org

Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to show times at McCaw Hall.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Choreographer Bruce Wells has created more than 50 ballets. His career as a dancer began under the direction of George Balanchine at New York City Ballet, where he danced as a soloist. Mr. Wells’ choreographic career began in workshops that Mr. Balanchine coached in the early 1970s. From there, he was resident choreographer for Connecticut Ballet from 1975 to 1979, choreographing his first full-length production, Coppélia in 1976. From 1979 to 1989, he was resident choreographer for Boston Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams and Bruce Marks. He created more than 20 works for the company, including The Nutcracker, La Fee Mal Gardée, Swan Lake, and a highly acclaimed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Wells was also Associate Artistic Director of Boston Ballet. He next joined Patricia Wilde’s Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for six seasons as resident choreographer, creating new productions of Romeo & Juliet, The Firebird, and The Great Gatsby, among others. Mr. Wells has also created works for the Australian Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Cincinnati Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Jacob’s Pillow, among others. Mr. Wells was on the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School for 18 years. His first children’s ballet for the School was Snow White in 2001, followed by Hansel & Gretel and Pinocchio.

Michele Curtis joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School in 2006 after a performing career with both classical and contemporary dance companies. She has performed with Connecticut Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Donald Byrd/The Group, Pilobolus Dance Theater and Seattle Dance Project. In addition to teaching ballet at PNB School, she has also served as Ballet Master for the PNB student matinee productions of Pinocchio, Le Corsaire: A Pirate’s Tale, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel. From Los Angeles, she received her early training from Catherine Kingsley, Meredith Baylis, Yvonne Mounsey, Rosemary Valaire, Stanley Holden, The Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Ms. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance from UCLA.

Ryan Sbaratta is an Atlanta-based designer who has designed sets for theater, museums, and film, and is known for his fabrication work done under the brand Lost Dog Customs. Theatre designs for The Center for Puppetry Arts include Pete the Cat, Anne Frank: Within Without, The Cat in the Hat, Click Clack Moo, Mother Goose, Aesop’s Carnival, The Ghastly Dreadfuls and The Canterville Ghost. His exhibit work includes Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Journey to Goblin City and, most recently, Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: World of Myth and Magic. For the Alliance Theatre’s Theatre for the Very Young, Mr. Sbaratta created the two-dimensional set of Little Raindrop Songs. His film and television work includes “Escape Plan 2,” “Stuber” and, most recently, the art direction for Lifetime’s “American Beauty Star” season 2. Bruce Wells’ Beauty and the Beast is Ryan’s first commission for Atlanta Ballet. ryansbarattadesign.com/

Joseph R. Walls has designed several pieces for Atlanta Ballet, including Ricardo Amarante’s The Premiere, Gemma Bond’s Denouement, Tara Lee’s blink and Andrea Miller’s Push. He has also designed for STEPS Panama, Staibdance, RAIIN Dance Theater, Inland Pacific Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, and The Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center. Mr. Walls designed for Sundance Mountain Resort’s Summer Theatre. He has also been nominated for the prestigious Premios Escena award for best lighting design in Panama. In January 2019, Mr. Walls designed the lighting for the World Youth Day 2019 with Pope Francis in Panama. jwallsdesign.com

Bruce Wells’ Beauty and the Beast was first created for and performed by the students of Atlanta Ballet 2. Atlanta Ballet 2 represents the highest level of training in the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, and provides new performance opportunities for the next generation of professional dancers. For more information, visit atlantaballet.com/about/atlanta-ballet-2.

Founded in 1974, Pacific Northwest Ballet School is recognized as one of the top ballet training institutions in the United States. The School offers a complete, professional curriculum to more than 1,000 students. The School’s Open Program attracts over 600 teens and adults who wish to pursue recreational dance instruction in a supportive and encouraging setting. The School offers full and partial tuition scholarships to students who demonstrate artistic potential and financial need. PNB.org/PNB-school/